BEATTIE – Allan (Al) Wilson

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend, Allan Wilson (Al) Beattie passed away peacefully at the age of 90 on Saturday, September 25, 2010 comforted by the presence of his family at the Colonel Belcher Extended Care Centre.

Allan was predeceased by his wife of sixty years, Lucy, whom he met while serving in the RCAF in England during WW II.

Allan was born in Swalwell, Alberta near Three Hills on June 26, 1920. Born into an agricultural community, Allan made agriculture his career graduating from the University of Alberta as a professional agrologist and working in a number of increasingly senior roles and retiring from Alberta Wheat Pool in 1985. As a tribute to Allan’s dedication to the industry he received the Distinguished Agrologist Award from the Alberta Institute of Agrologists and was inducted into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame in 1993. His dream of creating a museum about Alberta farming was realized with the opening of the Grain Academy at Stampede Park in 1981.

A warm, quick witted man, Allan’s integrity and quiet strength remain a model for his family and friends.

A Memorial Service will be held at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY’S, Chapel of the Bells (2720 Centre Street North) on Monday, October 4, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. Condolences may be forwarded through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Salvation Army, 420 – 9 Avenue SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0R9 Telephone: (403) 410-1111, www.salvationarmy.org or to the charity of the donor’s choice.

In living memory of Allan Beattie, a tree will be planted at Big Hill Springs Park, Cochrane by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Chapel of the Bells, 2720 CENTRE STREET NORTH Telephone: (403) 276-2296.

Condolence Messages

I came to Berwyn in 1954 as the District Home Economist. I had the great pleasure of knowing Al and working with him for 4 years. He was a good friend, a mentor and besides he was lots of fun. Al was highly respected by all the farmers in the area. On a rainy day in June it was nothing to see all the chairs in the outer waiting room full of farmers waiting to discsssuss some farm problem or issue with Al.
Me and my late husband Dick visited Al and Lucy in their home in Calgary in 1995, it was a wonderful reunion.
Al seemed to enjoy our Christmas letters, especially any details about our farm.
Al had so much respect for farmers and rural people. He was a great person, I am very thankful that I had the priviledge to know him well- Betty Mitchell MacArthur

We were so very sorry to hear that Al recently passed away. On behalf of the staff and volunteers of the Calgary Stampede, we wish to extend our sincerest condolences. Al was a Stampede Life Member whose dedication to local agriculture was exemplified through the development of the Grain Academy Museum. This interpretive centre about the grain industry is an outstanding legacy for not only Alberta’s school children but for all visitors to our province.

Please know that our thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

Greetings and my condolences to Al’s family.
I am writing to you as President of the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association, as well as having known Al personally for many years when he attended many of our Association functions.
Al was very supportive of our members during his days with AWP, and we always appreciated his appearance at our conventions and golf tournaments as well.
I, along with many others, recall his dream of the Museum at Stampede Park and it would not be a reality without his diligence and dedication.
I shall pass on the sad news of his passing to my colleagues and I know you are justifiably proud of him and his achievements.
Rest easy, old friend.

Al and Lucy lived in our district of Cambrian Heights for many years and we had the extreme good fortune of being their neighbours. They were warm, witty and welcoming and we miss them both very much. Our heartfelt condolences go to Al’s family on this loss. He was a gentleman of great personal integrity.

I would like to extend my condolences
to Al’s family on the loss of their Dad.

Your Mom & Dad were good friends of my
parents when they all resided in Berwyn.
I remember them as very fine people and a great asset to the community.

They kept in touch over the years and Al always wrote a very interesting and newsy letter or Christmas card. I think keeping in touch with old friends was very inportant to him. Even after both my parents were gone I got nice notes from your Dad for a few years.

He will be remembered by many as a man who was respected for his integrity and probably the best agriculturist Berwyn ever had.

Your father was well known and rightly recognised within the agricultural community both in Alberta and Canada. But perhaps not so much internationaly. I wish to correct this impression! We were colleagues working for The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations back in the 1970’s. He was the FAO Agricultural Extension Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture of the Government of Swaziland. I was his supervisor in FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy and know very well the high regard he was held by the peasant farmers, field Extension staff and senior policy makers in Swaziland. Even before HIV had been recognized as the scourge it is today he was reporting to FAO the devastating impact it would have on agricultural production in Africa. He knew and loved farmers. Thanks. Your father was a real leader!

It was a sad day when I heard Al had passed away. I had great respect for Al and worked for him at Alberta Pool for many years. He inspired and worked so hard for the Pool, agriculture and many causes. I know I learned a lot from Al and will always remember him as a man of vision who was willing to roll up his sleeves and just make things happen.

We enjoyed many occassions with Al and Lucy over the years and fondly recall his parties and the games he organized to test wits.

I will miss Al but never forget him. He was a man of principle, a character and most of all a man who worked to make the world and his acquaintences better everyday.

It was with much sorrow that my wife, Lillian, and I read the notice of the passing of Al Beattie. He and I both graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in Agriculture in the spring of 1949. Before long, he would go to work as a District Agriculturist with the Department of Agriculture and be based at Berwyn on the north side of the Peace River, while I went with the Department working provincially with Geo Black in the 4-H program. So, as we both moved along in our work, I arranged to spend about a week with him in visiting 4-H clubs which he had organized. It was on this occasion that I met Colin, Vivian and Mavis as Lucy Beattie had so kindly invited me in for meals. For many years following this I had a close working relationship with Al. Lillian also knew him through her work as a District Home Economist.

Al was a very good friend and I always admired him for his many accomplishments. His work, both with the Department and with the Alberta Wheat Pool certainly made him most deserving of the major awards he was given. We both came from the same general area in central Alberta and both enjoyed the game of curling. The last time we saw him was in the hospital in Calgary about three years ago. He will be missed by many and we wish to be counted with all those.

This is a sad time indeed for all of you, but at least you will have many happy memories of a great family member of whom you can be justly proud. Our sincerest condolences and warmest wishes to all of you at this time.

Our condolences to the family. Everyone knows and respects the integrity of the professional side of Mr. Beattie. It is the personal side of the Beattie’s that we will remember the most. I too worked as a staff person and Al always cared about our spouses. During the Alberta Wheat Pool Annual Meetings, he made sure that our spouses were able to attend the Banquet and Dance. We always looked forward to the fellowship at their home on one of those evenings when we participated in “silly” games!

I have fond memories of Al giving sound advice to the farming community around Calgary and assistance with 4H. His diligent work with the Pool was appreciated; I remember a book of his poems under the pseudonim of Wilson and have copies of “Trails in the Sunset”. Calgary Co-op and the Co-op Memorial Society also benfitted from his wisdom. The agricultural community gives gratitude to Al in providing leadership establishing the Grain Academy. His was a long life of worthwhile accomplishments.

On behalf of my family here in Scotland I would like to pass on my condolences to Allan’s family. My mother, Myra Beattie Turnbull, asked me to find out about Allan as she had lost contact and it was very sad to find out that he had passed away. Allan was my grandmother’s cousin (Jessie Laird) and she always talked about the times when he used to come an visit her and my grandfather (John Laird) in Hamilton, Scotland during thr war. Even after my grandparents passed away my mum still kept in contact with Allan via Christmas cards. He will always be in our thoughts.